Akita North · OdateNo.1251★★★Open in map →

Akita Inu no Sato

— Odate's Akita dog hall by the station

cultureThe classic — done right

A free, city-run visitor hall facing JR Odate Station, in the town where Hachiko was born. Inside are a museum on the Akita breed and a room where a resident Akita can be watched through glass.

FromAkita Station
~1 hr 30 minJR limited express, 3 a day
Get off atOdate Station (JR Ou Line)
On foot
Akita Inu no Sato

Directions ↗

Where it is

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What to look for

Aogaeru railcarMaedaAkihiko / CC BY-SA 4.0

Hachiko statuea bronze Hachiko on a plinth at the foot of the hall's front steps
Station-style façadea triangular-roofed hall modelled on Shibuya Station of the Taisho era
Akita Dog Museumdisplays on the breed's history, character and famous dogs
Akita dog exhibition rooma glass-fronted room with a resident Akita on view, no touching
Aogaeru railcara green Tokyu 5000 series car moved here from Shibuya's Hachiko Plaza

How to actually get there

Akita Station → Odate Station (JR Ou Line limited express Tsugaru, about 1 hr 20–30 min; three a day each way).
Odate Station → Akita Inu no Sato (walk about 150 m across the station plaza).
See the Hachiko statue and the museum, then the dog exhibition room.
Check the return train time before heading back to the station.

JR limited express Tsugaru from Akita Station: Akita Station →(JR Ou Line limited express Tsugaru, some run as Super Tsugaru, about 1 hr 20–30 min)→ Odate Station. The hall is the triangular-roofed building facing the station. Only three Tsugaru trains run each way a day, so plan around their times. Local trains also run on the same line but take longer.
Return from Odate Station: Take the Tsugaru or a local train back to Akita from Odate Station. The limited express runs only a few times a day, so check the return time on the JR East timetable before you set out.

Directions from my location (Google Maps) ↗

About the place

Akita Inu no Sato is Odate City's tourism exchange facility, standing directly in front of JR Odate Station in northern Akita. Its building copies the look of Shibuya Station in the Taisho era, the station where Hachiko waited for his owner. Inside are three main parts: an Akita dog museum, an exhibition room with a live Akita, and a souvenir shop. The museum covers the breed's history, its character and the stories of well-known dogs. In the exhibition room the dog is shown behind glass, and touching is not offered. Outside stands the Aogaeru, a green Tokyu 5000 series railcar that once sat in Shibuya's Hachiko Plaza.

How to enjoy it

The building is open 9:00–17:00, but the dog exhibition room runs 9:30–16:45, so aim for that window. Watch the dog through the glass without flash, and let it rest if it is sleeping. Pair the visit with the statue and the Aogaeru railcar outside.

Background & history

Hachiko was born in 1923 in what is now Odate. In January 1924 the puppy was sent from Odate Station to his new owner in Tokyo. The Akita Dog Preservation Society was founded in Odate in 1927. In 1931 the Akita became the first Japanese dog breed designated a Natural Monument. A bronze Hachiko statue first stood outside Odate Station in 1935 but was taken in wartime metal collection, and a new one was unveiled in 1987. The visitor hall itself opened in 2019.

Before you go

Cash: Entry to the building, the museum and the dog exhibition room is free. Train fares are paid at Odate Station; check before you travel whether your IC card is accepted on this route.
Good to know: The hall closes on 31 December and 1 January. The dog exhibition room is closed on Mondays, or on the next weekday when Monday is a holiday. The Aogaeru railcar is covered over in winter.
Another way: From Shin-Aomori Station on the Tohoku Shinkansen, the same Tsugaru limited express runs south to Odate Station.
After you get off: From Odate Station, cross the station plaza for about 150 m to the triangular-roofed hall; the Hachiko statue stands at its front steps.